Tilton-Northfield firefighters to receive $925,490 federal grant

TILTON — The Tilton-Northfield Fire District will receive $925,490 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for a three-year grant that will be used to hire four new firefighters.  

FEMA on Friday announced $41.3 million in direct assistance grants to 105 fire departments nationwide through the agency’s Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant program.

The SAFER grant program was created to provide funding directly to fire departments and volunteer firefighter organizations to help increase the number of trained firefighters available in communities. The goal of the grant program is to assist local fire departments with staffing and deployment capabilities to respond to emergencies and assure that communities have adequate protection from fire and fire-related hazards. With enhanced staffing levels, recipients should experience a reduction in response times and an increase in the number of trained personnel assembled at the incident scene.

The grant is funded through FEMA’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant program. The grant applications are submitted from each agency directly to FEMA, where the applications are reviewed and scored by fire service personnel from throughout the nation.